.

38 Everett St | Allston, Massachusetts 02134 | 617-254-5000 | www.ovrdrv.com

10 Ways Your Brand Can Stand Out on Twitter

March 13, 2014

Bob Cargill (@cargillcreative on Twitter) Director of Social MediaOverdrive Interactive

#NEDMAInno14

2

.

How do you stand out in a crowd of over 241 million active Twitter users?

3

.

10 Ways Your Brand Can Stand Out on Twitter

1. Newsjack What’s Hot

2. Ask Questions

3. Engage with other Brands

4. Embrace Your Fans

5. Talk about the Weather

6. Be Responsive

7. Have a Sense of Humor

8. Give Something Away

9. Be Inspirational

10. Share Your Knowledge

This presentation is based on an article written by Bob Cargill for ClickZ (www.clickz.com) on February 25, 2014, which you can find here: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2330617/10-ways-your-brand-can-stand-out-on-twitter

4

.

Newsjack What’s Hot

1. Taking advantage of trending news by writing about it as it is breaking can be a very effective way to inject your brand into the conversation IF it is done in a clever, timely and tasteful manner.

The Grammys. The Academy Awards. The Olympics. Special events like these are ripe for the picking.

For instance, during this year’s Super Bowl, many brands were playing the newsjacking game, sharing their quips in real time.

5

.

Newsjack What’s Hot

6

.

Newsjack What’s Hot

7

.

Newsjack What’s Hot

8

.

Newsjack What’s Hot

9

.

Newsjack What’s Hot

10

.

Ask Questions

2. Any networker worth his or her salt knows the best way to win over an audience is to show an interest in what others have to say rather than to talk about yourself.

Ask them anything. The more you ask them questions, the more likely they’ll be to trust that you’re genuinely interested in their needs, interests and opinions. The more likely they’ll be to do business with you when the time comes.

11

.

Ask Questions

12

.

Ask Questions

13

.

Ask Questions

14

.

Ask Questions

15

.

Ask Questions

16

.

Engage With other Brands

3. Back in the day, it would have been highly unusual – and nearly impossible – for one brand to talk to another. What would be the point? And without the Internet, there wasn’t really a good forum for such conversation, anyway.

Social media changes everything. And today, now that most brands have the basics of Twitter down, they’re going where no brands have gone before, reaching out to one another for not just casual banter, but for strategically timed engagement.

17

.

Engage With other Brands

18

.

Engage With other Brands

19

.

Engage With other Brands

20

.

Engage With other Brands

21

.

Engage With other Brands

22

.

Embrace Your Fans

4. People follow brands on Twitter for a number of reasons, one of which is for a digital autograph, a chance to connect with someone or something they adore.

One-on-one interaction is ideal. A retweet or a reply goes a long way with your fans. But if you’re too big or too busy to reach out to others individually, you can still at least acknowledge those who follow you in one fell swoop and thank them every once in a while.

23

.

Embrace Your Fans

24

.

Embrace Your Fans

25

.

Embrace Your Fans

26

.

Embrace Your Fans

27

.

Embrace Your Fans

28

.

Talk about the Weather

5. What’s the one thing people talk about when they have nothing else to say? The weather! Everyone is interested in the forecast, the temperature and whether it’s sunny, raining or snowing outside.

The weather is the lowest common denominator of conversation. It’s an opportunity for brands to talk about something that has universal appeal.

29

.

Talk about the Weather

30

.

Talk about the Weather

31

.

Talk about the Weather

32

.

Talk about the Weather

33

.

Talk about the Weather

34

.

Talk about the Weather

35

.

Talk about the Weather

36

.

Be Responsive

6. Given the fact that over 70% of users expect brands to get back to them on Twitter in under an hour (according to a Lithium Technologies report http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2304492/Brands-Expected-to-Respond-Within-an-Hour-on-Twitter-Study), it only makes sense that the quicker you respond to those who tag you, the better.

Monitor the channel for mentions and questions. Unless they’re trolls, spammers or ridiculously rude people, everyone deserves a timely response.

37

.

Be Responsive

38

.

Be Responsive

39

.

Be Responsive

40

.

Be Responsive

41

.

Be Responsive

42

.

Be Responsive

43

.

Have a Sense of Humor

7. Far too many brands take themselves too seriously on Twitter. For them, every single tweet is watered down, devoid of any personality whatsoever, never mind a sense of humor. Yet one of the best ways to stand out on this channel is to lighten up every once in a while.

Laugh at yourself. Poke fun at others – in a harmless, good-natured way. Don’t hesitate to put a smile on the face of your brand.

44

.

Have a Sense of Humor

45

.

Have a Sense of Humor

46

.

Have a Sense of Humor

47

.

Have a Sense of Humor

48

.

Have a Sense of Humor

49

.

Have a Sense of Humor

50

.

Have a Sense of Humor

51

.

8. Perhaps the easiest way to stand among the competition for attention on Twitter is to host a contest or sweepstakes. You don’t have to feature a big prize, either. Anything you have to offer is sure to draw interest.

Make sure you abide by Twitter’s guidelines, though https://support.twitter.com/articles/68877-guidelines-for-contests-on-twitter. There are probably more details involved than you realize. But if you play by the rules and your prize is desirable, you’ll likely be deluged with replies and entries.

Give Something Away

52

.

Give Something Away

53

.

Give Something Away

54

.

Give Something Away

55

.

Give Something Away

56

.

Give Something Away

57

.

Be Inspirational

9. Whether you’re marketing to businesses or consumers, don’t forget that you’re talking to other humans on Twitter. Sure, your ultimate objective may be to increase lead and sales, but that doesn’t happen overnight on Twitter. It happens over time.

Start by helping your followers achieve both their personal and professional dreams. A little emotion goes a long way toward moving people to action and helping them separate the good tweets from those not worth their time.

58

.

Be Inspirational

59

.

Be Inspirational

60

.

Be Inspirational

61

.

Be Inspirational

62

.

Be Inspirational

63

.

Share Your Knowledge

10. Speaking of being helpful, some of the most popular accounts on Twitter are those that provide insight and information to their followers.

Like the most successful thought leaders, they share tips, tricks, facts and figures about the space in which their brands and followers live, work and play.

64

.

Share Your Knowledge

65

.

Share Your Knowledge

66

.

Share Your Knowledge

67

.

Share Your Knowledge

68

.

Share Your Knowledge

69

.

Share Your Knowledge

70

.

10 Ways Your Brand Can Stand Out on Twitter

This presentation is based on an article written by Bob Cargill for ClickZ (www.clickz.com) on February 25, 2014, which you can find here: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2330617/10-ways-your-brand-can-stand-out-on-twitter

71

.

Bob Cargill

• Director of Social Media at Overdrive Interactive • 30+ Years or Experience as a Marketing Professional• The New England Direct Marketing Association’s Direct

Marketer of the Year in 2009• Over 40 Awards for Copywriting, Creative Direction and

Social Media• Gold from NEDMA for Blog in 2006• Gold from NEDMA for Best Tweets in 2010

• Frequent Speaker at Industry Events and Elsewhere• Past President of the New England Direct Marketing

Association (‘99-’00) and Two Toastmasters Clubs• Graduate of Leadership MetroWest’s Leadership Academy

(‘92)

.

Thank you!

Bob Cargill

Director of Social Media

Overdrive Interactive

bcargill@overdriveinteractive.com

617-254-5000

@cargillcreative on Twitter